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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Tokens

They're tiny and seemingly meaningless- but in their day
these little babies were the gateway to the rest of the world beyond my own
neighborhood. They have always held a fascination for me. The first time I saw
one was on my father’s dresser with his change. I remember that I didn't need
one until I was over 6. I still recall the slogan- "Little enough to ride
for free- little enough to ride your knee."

As a coin collector I used to shun these little guys- but
I always made sure to save one or two whenever the NYC tokens were changed. I
have given them away, one by one, over the years, to friends and my kids. My
wife even has one of the older little ones as a necklace. In 1967 I went by
"D" train into Manhattan and shopped at Macy's on 34th Street for
Christmas using one of these same tokens.

The best part of holding one of these in your hands is
the unknown, untold story that each could tell. Look at the Honolulu token for
instance. I see a sailor on liberty in pre-World War II Hawaii. The trolley
probably took him from the docks to the bar district or maybe he even had a
girlfriend. Where was this token on the morning of December 7th, 1941? Oh, how
I wish these guys could talk!

The Baltimore and the South Carolina tokens are from the
days of segregation and were once held in the hands of white, blue collar
workers as well as the African American passengers, who, after handing over the
fare had to "move to the rear of the bus." How odd that they could
share the tokens but not the seats...

The Miami token recalls a time when people from New York
went down to Florida for the winter. While there they used the streetcars and
rode alongside the Cuban maids and hotel workers. I have a picture of my
mother's family in Miami in the 1940's and can't help wonder if my mom; or even
my great granddad Max; used one of these on the way to Neiman Marcus to shop.
Maybe even this one!

The delicate designs, the flourishes at the edges and the
delightful cutouts in the centers give these tokens all the grace of real
coins. They are hallmarks to the past.

You can find these little beauties in almost any coin
shop- usually in a box marked "Special" and selling for less than a
buck. I like to turn them over in my hand and read the inscriptions and spin
stories in my head about them, where they were and who used them. Not bad for
less than a buck.